In my travels and dealings with photographers around the country, I’ve discovered that some are very talented photographers, and have great style, but many of their pictures just don’t hit the mark, or at least could be better. What I’m finding are images that are technically correct - exposure, lighting, etc. - but the way the model is positioned ruins the composition. A photographer that understands the “2/3 rule” and “creating an S” can sometimes overcome bad posing, but most often, not. Many times it’s a simple matter of posture, but occassionally we want the model slouching - so why does the picture still look bad?

There are a few basic tricks that I teach models and photographers, to help improve some of those images. Many models already know some of them, but the photographer MUST know all of them, and if he or she isn’t consciously looking for them, it can adversely affect the outcome. Once the model AND photographer are collectively aware of these subtle points, photo composition improves dramatically. See if these ideas improve your photos: